


Make You Wonder Why You Even Try

by Asushunamir



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Of sorts?, Platonic Cuddling, Some discussion of mental health issues, Truth Serum?, just lmk if you need something tagged, these hedgehogs gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24584515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asushunamir/pseuds/Asushunamir
Summary: In which Tails inadvertently discovers his brother has a crush on someone and tries to figure out what to do with that information, setting in motion a chain of events during which everyone bears witness to way more pining than they ever wanted to.
Relationships: Amy Rose/Blaze the Cat, Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat & Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 106
Kudos: 293





	1. Eavesdropping Is Impolite And Also Emotionally Scarring

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I've never done anything in this fandom before, so I'm really nervous about posting this, but here goes!
> 
> The device in this chapter is from episode 2 of Sonic Boom, but it shouldn't matter if you haven't seen that- it's pretty self-explanatory, plus it won't be in any future chapters. Also, I'm not sure what's canon across games, but in this fic, Sonic and Tails live together, as do Shadow and Rouge. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy :D

"Finally," Tails mutters, grabbing a plain brown box off the front step of the house. He steps back inside and carefully opens the box, revealing the last few bits of plastic and machinery that he needs.

He runs over to the kitchen counter and snatches a miniature pair of pliers out of the mess of dishes and devices. Sonic's been out on missions almost non-stop for the past week, only pausing to sleep, if that, and Tails has been on an inventing spree for almost as long, meaning neither of them has had much time for household maintenance. 

Tails has been having a hard time getting chores done, such things almost seem trivial when his brother is out fighting robots to the death. Inventing helps a little, it feels like he's actually contributing to their cause, and Sonic would probably tell him not to push himself like this if he were here, but he's not here, so Tails is free to stew in his own anxiety instead. 

Which is why he's still awake and working, despite it being the early hours of the morning when the world was asleep and the sun is just barely illuminating the kitchen in golden light. It's honestly a little counterproductive. The sunlight is pretty, sure, but not great lighting for maneuvering tiny little pieces of machinery. 

Tails resolves to do something about the mess later and gets back to work installing them in his latest, and dare he say, greatest, contraption yet. To the unsuspecting eye, the machine he's working on looks like a simple set of wireless earbuds and an old-school MP3 player, both painted in a garishly bright shade of blue. In actuality, it's a pocket sized version of his old master-piece: a translator that not only translated languages, but could also tell you the true meaning behind people's words.

His friends have been… less than receptive to the idea in the past (who knew people would get so upset about their innermost thoughts being revealed?), but Tails saw promise in the device yet. He was sure his friends would see that too, once he had proved its usefulness. All he has to do is pick up some valuable information from their enemies over the course of their next few missions, without his friends finding out. 

Hence the device's new, deceptively innocent appearance.

The last pieces now installed, Tails stops squinting and presses the cover back over the inner workings of the machine. He nods at it in satisfaction when it sticks -he's been having some issues with that- then hangs the device around his neck and puts the earbuds on. _Now, to see if it actually works…_

"My name is Tails." He says, nervously fidgeting with the nubs of the earbuds. He's not certain what the range is on the mic yet, so there's a chance that could be an issue, or-

A tiny voice buzzes, interrupting his panicked spiral, _'I really hope this works.'_

It speaks quickly, faster than a person normally talks. One of the issues he'd noticed with his old design was that conversation had to be put on hold to listen to the translator. Hopefully this will help, though it's still not a perfect solution.

Tails half-sighs, half-laughs his relief. "Oh, good."

_'Oh, good.'_ The translator echoes. 

Tails frowns. "That's going to take some getting used to…"

_'That's going to get annoying quickly.'_

It's not practical either, and Tails feels a sting of annoyance that he didn't think of that back when he was doing the initial programming. Now he'll have to modify it so that it doesn't translate his own voice. He picks up the pliers again, planning to pull out the microchip and reprogram it. 

The front door slams open with a loud bang, hitting the wall. Tails jumps, dropping the tool. "I still think it was a dumb plan." Says a deep voice that he doesn't recognize right away.

_'I still think that you could've gotten hurt.'_

"It worked, didn't it?" That voice was definitely Sonic's. Apparently he'd gotten back from his mission early, which meant that the other person was likely Shadow, who had been assigned the same mission.

Their group had a tradition, of sorts, of inviting each other over after missions to unwind. It had started with exhaustion causing them all to crash at the nearest safe place, and ended with them all keeping clothes and toothbrushes at each other's houses. Lately, Sonic had been extending that offer to Shadow, and Rouge, if she was around.

_'It worked, didn't it?'_

"Oh, shoot," Sonic winces, lowering his voice as he enters the house. "Tails is probably still asleep, we should- oh, nevermind."

_'We're being loud. I would feel bad if we woke Tails. Oh, nevermind.'_

Sonic waves at him, Tails waves back, and then the hedgehog barrels towards him, stopping right in front of Tails and ruffling his ears. Tails grins at him, knowing this is as close to a hug as Sonic will ever initiate, and even though they've spent most of their lives together, Tails can't help but feel slightly honored that Sonic trusts him so much. 

Sonic pulls away after just a few moments, walking over to the table and absentmindedly starting to organize the papers littering the counter. Behind him, Shadow slips inside and closes the door without a sound. Creepy. "Hey bud, what are you up to?"

_'Why are you awake this early?'_

"Just.. doing some cleaning!" Tails says, reaching down to pick up the pliers. 

_'Working on a project that you'd hate!'_ Tails's smile fractures. He doesn't like hiding things from his friends. Exhaling softly, he places the pliers in their proper drawer and starts moving dishes into the sink. He's not feeling ambitious enough to wash them, but it's nice having them in stacks rather than scattered all over.

Sonic looks at him strangely. "Okay..?"

_'Is he okay?'_

"I'm fine!" He replies immediately, the translator echoing his words back to him. At Sonic's confused look, Tails realizes he just responded to something that hasn't been said. He has absolutely no idea how to explain that away, so he just tries to divert attention from himself. "So, how was the mission?"

_'Please talk about the mission so I don't have to keep lying.'_

Thankfully, Sonic doesn't comment on how weird Tails is being. "It went great!" He exclaims, moving to a cabinet and pulling out two energy bars, one of which he tosses at Shadow, who's been lurking awkwardly by the door this whole time. He catches it, though by the startled look on his face, it was more reflex than anything else.

_'I had a lot of fun."_

Tails grins at Sonic. He's not sure how healthy it is to find dodging bullets and punching robots fun, but it's nice to see him happy all the same.

He lifts a hand up to take out the earbuds, then hesitates. He really _shouldn't_ be invading their privacy, but this would be a good way to make sure the device is running smoothly. Testing machines on a mission adds the stress of avoiding death and listening to orders, it's probably safer for everyone if he just tests it now, right?

Mind made up, Tails leaves the earbuds in and grabs a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. He pours himself a glass, then, at Sonic's request, pours two more for the hedgehogs.

Shadow slips into the kitchen to take the cup from him, and Tails gives him a friendly smile as he hands the cup over. Shadow looks as unnerved as when he was having things thrown at him. The hedgehog says a quiet thanks, anyway, copied by the translator, and leans against the fridge. "It was fine until you decided to throw yourself at a cannon." 

_'It was nice until you endangered yourself and it scared me.'_

Tails blinks, surprised. They do dangerous things all the time, and Shadow has never struck him as the type to scare easily. 

"I had it under control," Sonic says dismissively, waving a hand. "You worry too much."

_'I had it under control. You don't have to worry about me but I like that you do.'_

"Easy for you to say, you'll be dead. I'm the one who's going to have to explain what happened." Shadow rolls his eyes, and Sonic laughs a little, hopping onto the counter so that he can sit facing Shadow.

_'Please don't die. I couldn't handle losing you.'_

Huh. Strange. Tails knows the two of them are friends, but that's a bit much. Maybe being immortal and losing the people close to him has caused Shadow some abandonment issues? Tails tries to stop thinking about it. He's been told before that it's invasive to analyze other people's psyches. Not that any of his current friends have ever said anything along those lines… maybe he should ask everyone if it's okay. It's not like anyone in their group is shining example of good mental health, and it wouldn't hurt to have someone monitoring- 

Several loud thumps interrupt his musings, and he looks up at Sonic, who's bouncing his legs against the cabinets beneath him. "I'm gonna make you speak at my funeral, too. Tails, make sure he gives a speech! A good one. I want tears."

_'Watching you try to give an empathetic speech would be hilarious.'_

The machine seems to be picking out the true meaning of words more easily when what's being said isn't literal. That has a lot of promise, although it's going to be hard to hear their enemies say things like that. Maybe on stealth missions? 

Tails nods his acceptance of the request, but before he can comment, Shadow asks, "Who says I'm even showing up?"

_'Your smile is adorable.'_

Tails feels his heart stop momentarily, shock ringing in his ears. He briefly considers the possibility that he misheard the translator, but Shadow has this expression that can only be described as soft, and Sonic _is_ smiling right now, one could even say beaming, which is… well, it's odd. 

It's not that Sonic is usually unhappy, but he is usually _bored;_ he has a constant need for movement, for excitement, that results in a disinterest for daily life, along with an adrenaline-junkie-esque need to throw himself into the line of fire. The fact that Sonic is still so cheerful, even after the fight has ended, means something. Something important.

"That's cold, Shads. I'm hurt." Sonic teases, his blissful smile not faltering for a second. Sonic sets his empty glass down, then rests his chin against his hands and props his elbows on his knees. He looks for all the world like a lovesick teenager.

_'I want more moments like this with you.'_

...Oh. 'Lovesick' may be more accurate than Tails originally thought. His nose wrinkles at the thought of his brother liking anyone that way. And wants Sonic to be happy, and he doesn't dislike Shadow, but Tails finds himself hoping that he's just been misreading the situation, and there's a completely platonic explanation for all of this. Maybe Shadow isn't the only one with abandonment issues, he thinks wryly.

"I have to find some way to discourage you from dying." Shadow says, the translator echoing the sentiment. He also sets his glass down, politely placing it in the sink, and takes a step towards Sonic.

"Aww, you care about me?" 

_'How much do you care about me?'_

Shadow shrugs one shoulder. "It's hard to find a good racing partner."

_'Of course I care about you.'_

"You mean, it's hard to find someone who can beat you every time?" Somehow, Sonic manages to lean forward even more without falling off the table. 

_'I'm trying to bait you.'_

Evidently, Sonic knows what he's doing in the baiting department, because Shadow's eyes narrow and he takes another step. The kitchen is small enough that the movement leaves him standing almost between Sonic's knees. 

"That seems like a bit of an exaggeration." He doesn't sound angry like Tails expected him to. Rather, he sounds almost excited. 

_'Why are you trying to make me mad?'_

Sonic hums, tilting his head to the side. "Does it?" He asks, far too innocently.

_'I know.'_

Now that Tails knows that Sonic is flirting with Shadow (and probably vice versa), it's suddenly a lot more uncomfortable to be an observer to their interactions. It feels like he's intruding. Which is ludicrous, considering this is his own house.

"Yeah. It does." 

_'I'm finding it hard to concentrate with you this close.'_

Oh lights, Tails really does not want to listen to this anymore, but he's slightly frozen in place from all the information he's received and he's too anxious from not sleeping to draw any attention to himself. And unfortunately, he's standing in the corner of the kitchen, almost out of sight, the two hedgehogs have just spent almost a full day together and are likely still unaccustomed to talking to anyone else, and they are not about to notice him any time soon. In fact, considering how long they've been awake, they may have forgotten he's here. 

"Want me to prove it?" Sonic smirks, tilting his head up so that his nose is almost touching Shadow's.

_'What would you do if I kissed you?'_

Yeah. They've definitely forgotten he's here.

There's a moment of tense silence, then Tails slams his (thankfully very solid) glass down on the table with more force than is strictly necessary. Both hedgehogs jump, heads swiveling in unison to stare at him in surprise.

Shadow steps back to other side of the kitchen, arms crossed, any previous expression wiped away to a blank slate. He can't seem to look directly at Tails or Sonic, betraying his discomposure.

Sonic doesn't move, remaining seated on the counter. He rubs the back of his neck, openly embarrassed. "Uh."

_'How did I forget he was there? I got way too carried away.'_

If he had any brainpower left to be offended at being overlooked, Tails might say something sarcastic. 'Get a room' comes to mind. But he doesn't, so he's not, and all he says is: "I'm going to go try to sleep again. I'm glad you're both back safe."

_'I am freaking out because my brother is crushing on someone and I don't know how to handle that.'_

It's hard to interpret the piercing monotone voice of the machine as anything but mocking and it's through sheer willpower that he keeps from ripping the device from his ears and throwing it across the room to shatter against the wall.

Tails turns and starts walking back to his bedroom, trying to process what happened, what it means, what he should do about it.

"Sleep well!" Sonic calls out after him, and he sounds so awkward that despite his annoyance and the overall feeling of dirtiness at witnessing this whole fiasco, Tails still feels a twinge of empathy.

_'I feel terrible, did I just scar him for life?'_

The answer to that isn’t quite a no, and Tails doesn’t feel up to lying again, so he chooses to simply wave in acknowledgement rather than respond.

A few seconds later, he’s down the hallway and at his door, and hears Sonic ask from the other room, “So, did you want to lose a race, then?”

_‘Do you want to spend more time with me?’_

Cursing himself as he does so, but unable to resist his curiosity, Tails looks back over his shoulder at the two hedgehogs. 

"You're on," Shadow growls, but he's smiling, and Sonic is too, and Tails almost doesn't hear the translator repeating the words because how has he never noticed how they act before? Tails quickly goes over every argument of theirs that he can recall, and then concludes that he's an idiot.

Shadow wraps a hand around one of Sonic's wrists and gently pulls him off the table. A moment of stillness passes, then Shadow -less gently this time- begins to drag him to the door. Sonic immediately starts laughing, letting himself be led without any complaints. He doesn't try to pull his hand away, for once looking completely at ease with being touched.

Noticing him standing at the end of the hallway, Sonic waves at Tails with his free hand. "See you later!" They're facing each other directly for less than a second before Sonic is yanked out the door, but Tails still manages to spot the bright crimson of a blush on his cheeks. 

_'See you later!'_

The door swings shut, quietly, but it booms deafeningly in the sudden silence that ensues. 

…

"What in the hell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Rouge and the rest of the gang (on a related note, does anyone have a preference between blazamy and silaze?)
> 
> Sonic has consumed my life and working on this fic makes me really happy so the next chapter should be up soon, I hope! Thanks for reading, everyone!


	2. If They Get Together Does That Make Us Siblings-In-Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon my french but HOLY FUCK I did not expect this reaction, you're all so nice and it's overwhelming thank you all?! I've never gotten a response like this, thank you, it means the world to me
> 
> Sorry about the wait, this chapter fought me the whole time, and is a bit slower as a result. Hopefully it still flows okay! Also I lied about the translator not being in future chapters
> 
> The implications of Mariokart existing in the Sonic universe are strange, considering the Sonic & Mario Olympic Games, but I've decided I don't care and if that breaks the fabric of space-time so be it

For an excruciatingly long time, Rouge thought she would never have anyone in her life. She thought she’d be alone, aside from whatever people she ended up working with. She didn’t expect to work alongside any particularly good people, either. It’s surreal, to say the least, to look around her living room now: lively, full of noise, and joy, and people she can actually tolerate, and who tolerate her in turn. 

Sonic is to Rouge's right on the far side of the couch, lounging with his legs up on the ottoman, where the pink one, Amy, is using them as a headrest. Her jawbone is smashed against his shin. It looks like it should be uncomfortable, but neither of them seems to care in the slightest. She can't tell if it's because they're used to it, or if they're too absorbed in their game to do anything about the discomfort. 

Tails is perched on Rouge's left, knees pulled up to his chest and messing with a Rubik's cube that has definitely seen better days. Occasionally, Amy will unintentionally kick him when her kart falls off the edge of the track. 

The two she knows the least about are snuggled together on a deep green rocking chair. Blaze is screaming bloody murder at her opponents and shaking her controller wildly. Silver, sitting on her lap, looks completely at ease with the situation, watching the gameplay with a blissed-out expression. 

Rouge doesn't know them well, hasn't spent much time with them outside of life-threatening situations, but she feels the need to protect them. They're too young for this, like so many of her allies. Friends. Whatever these people are to her. In fact, the only one in the room close to her age is Knuckles, who has already passed out on the floor in a mound of blankets and pillows. He's been awake for a few days, as have Silver and Shadow. The rest of them had joined in as reinforcements on the last day. Rouge's never invited this many people into her home before, but so far, she doesn't regret it.

The faux-leather couch she's sharing with Sonic and Tails is an off-putting shade of magenta that clashes terribly with the tartan ottoman in front of it. The entire room is cluttered with pillows, blankets, and an assortment of furniture, none of it matching in any way, shape, or form. 

Shadow makes fun of her for it. She believes his exact words were, 'an eyesore that has more place in the 50s than it does now', which, well, he'd know, but Rouge's attached to most of the furniture she owns. She thinks Shadow might be too. For all his complaints, he's never suggested that she change anything.

There's a bit of fuzzy cotton peeking out from a slash in the leather, where Rouge had accidentally clawed it open during a nightmare; she keeps picking at it, idly, then catches herself and stops before she accidentally unstuffs the entire couch. Shadow had offered to sew it up if Rouge bought him a needle and thread, but she hasn't felt up to shopping lately.

Shadow returns from the kitchen with a bottle of water and flops down inbetween her and Sonic. His head is level with her knees since he's one of those losers who sits on a couch the way it is meant to be sat on. 

She knows how he usually sits, because he lives with her now. It's still strange, not living alone anymore, but Rouge enjoys the company, though she'd never tell Shadow that. Where there used to just be the harrowing silence of an empty apartment, now she has him. Often, Rouge wonders how she managed to function without Shadow living here. It's easier to take care of herself when she's already taking care of him. 

Plus, having him around is what Rouge thinks having a younger sibling might be like. She's not sure what else could describe the surge of fondness that pierces her heart whenever she sees him.

Of course, none of that stops her from wanting to strangle the dumbass for being this oblivious. Not a second has passed since he's sat down, and Shadow's already dropping his head down onto Sonic's shoulder. Sonic unconsciously tilts his head to rest against Shadow's, not even diverting his gaze from the screen. Rouge's pretty sure neither of them are completely aware of what they've just done.

Rouge starts picking at the stuffing again, trying to keep herself from grabbing Shadow by the shoulders and screaming, 'he obviously likes you back, you absolute fool!' She loves Shadow, really, but even she has limits to how much pining she can stand to witness. And listen to. She's heard way too many rants about unrequited affection since these two became friends.

She settles for throwing a pillow at Shadow and failing miserably. It hits Sonic solidly in the face, which Rouge might feel bad about if he were not, A: part of the problem, and B: already falling off the track.

"What was that for?" Sonic asks, too distracted by the game to be genuinely upset.

"Sorry." She says, knowing full well she doesn't sound sorry. "Was trying to hit Shadow."

"You're so rude." Shadow mutters.

At the same time, Sonic replies, "Completely understandable, carry on."

"You know what else is rude, Shadow?" Rouge grins, leaning in. "Not telling someone that you wanna jump their-"

Shadow grabs the fallen pillow and attempts to smother her with it, moving astonishingly fast for someone so sleep-deprived. She shrieks and tries to kick him, which he easily dodges because he's an asshole.

Rouge leans back to avoid an untimely death by pillow, and he whacks her, unbalancing her enough that she slips off the back of the couch. Her wings snap upwards to protect her head from cracking open on the wood floor. She hits the ground back-first, pain radiating down her spine.

"Ow." She says, and Shadow snickers at her.

"Are you okay?" Tails asks, peering over the back of the couch at her. Rouge's slightly surprised that he's talking to her. She and Tails aren't close- it's not that she dislikes him by any means, they just don't have much in common.

He extends a hand down to her, and Rouge blinks at it uncomprehendingly several times before she thinks to grab it. Tails helps pull her up, deceptively strong for his size.

She brushes herself off and responds, far too late, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

Raising her voice, she adds, "And at least I'm not hopelessly-" she ducks as Shadow haphazardly tosses another pillow at her. Tails giggles at them.

"Ah ha! Suck it!" Amy screams, passing the finish line and cutting off Blaze at the last possible moment. 

"Rematch!" Blaze yells back. Then she glances worriedly at Amy, like she's not sure if she said the right thing. Amy smiles back at her, and Blaze visibly relaxes and starts setting up the next match. Knuckles hasn't stirred from his place on the floor. Rouge is more than a little envious of his sleeping abilities.

"Hey, d'you want in on the next game?" Sonic asks, and Rouge glances away from the girls to see him staring bewilderedly at Shadow as he suddenly processes the other hedgehog's presence. 

Shadow is about three blinks from sleep, his eyes half shut and not focusing on anything, but he manages to slur out, "yeah, sure." He accepts the controller Amy hands him and sits up just enough to see the screen. He doesn't bother to move away from Sonic, leaving their sides pressed together and his head resting gently against Sonic's.

Sonic, to his credit, handles this remarkably well. His face goes bright red and he places close to last on the next board. Amy and Blaze don't comment on, or even notice his bad playing, both too caught up in beating the other for first place. Shadow doesn't notice either, hell-bent on taking every possible shortcut, missing most of them, and finishing somewhere in the middle.

"Hey, Rouge?" She turns to the voice to see Tails staring at her anxiously, cube held loosely in one hand. It's been manipulated into having an 'X' on each side, rather than a solid color.

"Yes?" Rouge answers, vaguely startled by his nervous demeanor.

"Uh…" he scratches the back of his neck, looking away. "Could I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?"

She says a confused 'sure', and Tails snatches up his backpack and darts off to the kitchen before Rouge can ask why.

She starts to follow Tails, when Blaze asks, quietly, "Excuse me, Rouge?"

Blaze wriggles her way out from under Silver with a practiced movement that makes Rouge think this isn’t the first time she’s gotten stuck like that. Blaze staggers off the chair, shaking feeling back into her limbs. "He fell asleep. But we’re being loud, I might wake him if I stay. Where should I sit instead?" 

It’s such a bizarre question that Rouge stands speechless for a moment, unsure how to proceed. Anyone else would’ve just moved. It occurs to Rouge that she and Silver might not have been sitting together for comfort, but to take up the smallest amount of space. Yikes. She could say, 'anywhere' but that feels too careless. And she really doesn't want to order the kid around, either...

"Oh! You can sit with me!" Thank the lights for Amy. 

As if realizing that might be too forward, Amy adds, "if you want to, that is?"

"Yes!" Blaze exclaims. Then her face goes bright red and her voice returns to its usual monotone. “I mean. Yeah, sure, I'd be fine with that."

“Great. Problem solved.” Rouge says. She doesn’t understand how to handle these people. 

She stalks off to the kitchen, where Tails is seated at the counter on one of the stools Rouge had bought shortly after Shadow moved in. They had been shopping for a bed when she'd spotted him sitting on one, smiling as he swung his legs back and forth, and promptly bought two. She just wanted Shadow to smile more often, even if it was due to something as basic as a chair. Scratch that, _especially_ if it was due to something as basic as a chair.

Luckily, she has Sonic to make him smile, now. Rouge laughs softly at the thought, and Tails startles, not having noticed her approach. She wriggles her fingers at him in a semblance of a wave. "Hey kiddo, sorry about the wait."

Tails shakes his head dismissively. "No problem, I don't mind." He stops there, nervously rubbing at the straps of his backpack. 

Trying to push through the awkwardness, she asks, "So, what'd you want to talk to me about?"

"Uh. I, um." Tails hesitates, tapping his fingers together. "I was wondering… you know Shadow pretty well, right?"

Rouge's not sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't that. "I guess. You're not his type, if that's what you're asking," she jokes, smirking at him.

Tails' reaction is much better than she expected, his face going bright red as he waves his hands frantically. "No, no, definitely not, why would- that's-" Tails pauses to think for a moment, finally settling on, "actually, that's sort of related."

Rouge raises an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"

Tails clears his throat unnecessarily. "Yeah. I kinda… heard something I wasn't supposed to, and." He looks vaguely disgusted for a moment, but presses onwards, "and I was hoping that maybe you knew about it, too?"

"What are you getting at, Tails." She says, regretting it the second she does. It feels weird to say his name. Too personal.

Tails takes a deep breath, letting a string of words out all at once. "I-know-who-Shadow-has-a-crush-on-so-if-you-know-too-please-tell-me-because-I-need-help." 

How did he... Wait, nevermind, they're both about as subtle as an entire brass marching band. But she should probably make sure Tails actually knows what he thinks he knows before she starts blabbing her brother's secrets.

Shadow's secrets, that is. Because she doesn't have a brother. Damn it, she's getting soft.

"I know who he likes. He told me. Are you sure you know?" Rouge feels a bit juvenile being involved in this conversation. It feels like high school, or what high school probably would've felt like if she had gone.

"I'm almost positive." Tails vows. 

Rouge pauses, then shrugs. "Eh, good enough for me. Say it together on three?"

The fox nods. She starts counting. "One, two, three-"

"Sonic," Tails declares.

"-Sonic." Rouge finishes, hardly a fraction of a second behind.

They stare at each other for a few seconds. Then, in alarming unison, they both heave relieved sighs. “Oh good,” Rouge laughs breathlessly, “Someone else finally figured it out. I thought I was going to lose my mind.”

“Me too,” Tails groans. “They’re so obvious, I can’t believe I never noticed before."

"I know, right?" Rouge says, wincing at how chipper she sounds. She's more excited than she thought she'd be at having someone to gossip with. Clearing her throat, she continues, more calmly, "They're so lovey-dovey it's almost sickening."

"Not almost." Tails responds dryly, smiling when she giggles. "So, what are we going to do about it?"

"I dunno," Rouge admits. For the life of her, she hasn't been able to figure it out. They're both hopeless, honestly. 

Shadow steadfastly refuses to talk to Sonic, no matter how many times she's told him to. He keeps saying that Sonic doesn't feel the same way, but Rouge is reasonably sure that it's required. Though, she's less confident that Sonic is even aware of his own feelings.

Huh, actually, she could get an answer to that, now. "Sonic likes him back, right?"

Tails shudders, but nods. "Definitely.”

Rouge has a strong urge to poke fun at his dramatics, but forces it down. He might not take it well, and alienating her only ally for a cheap laugh would be a terrible move. "How'd you find out, anyway?" 

In lieu of answering, Tails rummages through his bag. He retrieves a small cloth bag and tosses it at her over the counter. Rouge catches it out of the air without processing the action, blinking in surprise when she notices herself already holding it. At Tails' expectant look, she loosens the drawstring and carefully pours the bag's contents into her palm. 

There are three pieces, total, all the same shade of blue. Two earbuds and what she might describe as an MP3 player if she'd seen one in the last twelve years. She clicks the power button curiously, the tiny screen flickering on only to show a volume meter. 

It takes a few moments of her pressing the other buttons to no effect, before Rouge admits to herself that she has no idea what this thing is. "What, are there a bunch of sappy romance playlists on here?" 

Tails rolls his eyes. "No. It's a… mind-reading device, sort of." He points at the earbuds she's still holding. "Put those in and you'll see."

That gives her pause. The concept of mind-reading as a whole puts her on edge. Rouge likes being the only one who can access her thoughts, thank you very much, and she's inclined to simply set the machine aside and refuse to use it, maybe even walk away from this entire situation. 

On the other hand… reading other people's minds is really, _really_ tempting. 

Is that hypocritical? Certainly. 

Is she going to do it anyway?

…

Yes, yes she is. 

Slipping the earbuds in, Rouge notices Tails watching her with an odd little smile that makes her slightly concerned that this is a prank and she's about to receive an air horn directly to her ears. She waits a few seconds, and nothing happens, but the feeling doesn't go away.

"Okay, so how does-"

 _'How does this work?'_ A little, robotically fast voice interrupts her, and she almost drops the main body of the device.

"Whoa." Rouge says, and Tails' smile shifts into a more real one. He looks proud, and if this thing does what she thinks it might, she can't fault him for it.

_'I wasn't expecting that.'_

Rouge creeps over to the door, taking a few steps back into the living room. They've resumed the game, Amy and Blaze once more competing for first while the hedgehogs lag behind as they try to attack each other rather than race.

Blaze manages to snipe Amy three times in as many seconds, zooming past her and triggering the victory music. The cat laughs uproariously while Amy screams pure rage into a pillow.

"Ugh, why do I keep losing?" Sonic complains, finishing in dead last. He doesn't sound annoyed in the slightest. Understandable, as Shadow has only gotten more snuggly since she left, practically laying in Sonic's lap at this point. His legs are thrown over Sonic's, head resting against his chest.

_'This is fun.'_

"Maybe because you kept trying to kill me the entire match." Shadow murmurs sleepily, closing his eyes and burying his face in Sonic's neck. Rouge rolls her eyes at him. No shame, either of them.

Though, in all fairness, Rouge admires Shadow's bravery. She's never been able to simply tell someone when she wants or needs something from them, not verbally or otherwise. Sonic might not realize it, but coming from Shadow, constant affection is practically a declaration of love. Or as close to one as she's ever seen anyone get from him. In Rouge's experience, touch is what Shadow turns to when he can't find the right words.

The device is still whirring loudly in her ears as it tries to process the quiet words. _'I can't believe you pay so much attention to me.'_

Rouge is about to lecture him, that he, in fact, _does_ have value and people _do_ enjoy spending time with him, when she realizes she wasn't supposed to have heard that and bites her tongue. 

Sonic makes a harsh squeaky noise, either in response to Shadow's snuggliness, or the muffled 'good night' Shadow hums against his neck. The device fails to recognize it as words.

Amy starts laughing at him, even louder than Rouge herself. Between giggles, she asks, "Are you still playing?"

_'Are you about to faint?'_

"Um. I'm pretty Shads just passed out, but-" Sonic's voice cracks as Shadow unconsciously wraps his arms around his shoulders. In a significantly higher-pitched tone, he forces out, "-but I'll play one more round."

_'I love that Shadow trusts me enough to fall asleep on me but why does he? I'll play one more round to clear my head.'_

Rouge leaves them to it, slipping away to the kitchen. Tails is waiting for her, a notebook and pencil at the ready. He stays silent, watching her expectantly. It takes a few moments before she remembers she's still wearing the earbuds. 

The second she has removed them, Tails begins pestering her. "How did they work? Did they malfunction at all? Do you have any notes?"

"It was weird," Rouge says without thinking. His face falls, and she quickly adds, "but cool." 

Tails smiles, and she curses herself for caring at all about his feelings. She takes it all back, these people are never allowed in her home again. 

"There weren't any problems, although it couldn't pick up words that were mumbled. Is it even possible to fix that?"

"Uh, yeah, it is, I just… need to…" His voice trails off. He jots down about two full pages, muttering quietly to himself. Sensing that it's going to be a while, Rouge busies herself with throwing together a cup of coffee. It’s already past midnight, but she doesn’t sleep anyway. 

The coffee is made and she’s pouring in a bit of milk by the time Tails tears his focus away and looks at her again. "Sorry. I've been afraid to wear them after how my first test went, but I still need a lot more data."

"No problem." Rouge winces in sympathy, imagining what he might've subjected himself to in the name of science.

"Now, back to the problem at hand…" Tails flips to a different page. "I've gone through our options, and unfortunately, I think helping them get together is our best course of action."

"Won't they figure it out by themselves at some point?" It's not that she's against helping them, but. She can't even manage her own relationships, trying to fix someone else's seems like a terrible plan.

"Technically, you're right." Tails relents, tapping his chin. "But initially, our doing nothing means things will stay the same, with the two of them annoying us every time they're together. We would just have to wait it out. Factoring our propensity for near-death experiences, it shouldn't take longer than two years for one of them to break down and confess on their own. And I don't think either of us can handle waiting that long."

Rouge groans. He's right, but that doesn't mean she has to like it. She mutters an, "ugh, fine," although she's pretty sure Tails doesn't notice, his nose already buried back in his notes.

"Destroying their relationship might eventually lead to them actually discussing their feelings, but would cause a lot of sadness for both of them, and us if they figured what we did."

She opens her mouth to question why that was even an option, but Tails doesn't give her a chance, barreling onward, "That leaves the third option: meddling. If we leave out the other, more complicated, options… for instance… "

He roots through the notebook, finding a folded-up blue sheet of paper and shoving it at her. It's with a rough sketch of an odd-looking gate, exact specifications that she can't understand scrawled across it. "I briefly considered shoving them through a portal to a deadly planet so that they'd have to work together and communicate to survive, but I couldn't find any planets that were uninhabited and didn't cause instant death to organic beings." 

She chuckles, letting the schematics fall from her hand to the table. Not an awful idea, if a bit unrealistic. Hopefully it won't take anything that extreme to get them together, although she wouldn't be surprised if it did.

"-Which brought me to my next idea: swap their brains into robotic bodies. Now, I know that seems a little far-fetched, but I think the extreme stress-"

Rouge almost drops her mug. "No!" 

Tails immediately stops, tilting his head confusedly. "What's wrong?" 

She pauses, thinks of the million possible answers to that question, and settles on, "We can't do any of those."

"Right, of course I wouldn't do that. It's a violation of personal boundaries and trust." Tails says diligently, and Rouge relaxes a fraction.

"Also," Tails adds, instantly shattering her peace of mind, "it's hard to predict exactly how people will react in a situation, given how complex brains and emotions are. So, I can't do any of these 'complicated options' until I know with absolute certainty that it'll turn out how we want it to."

Rouge takes a seat next to him and drops her face into her hands. She's going to die. Not to an evil doctor or robots or the planet exploding, but to an enthusiastic little kid who can and will play god at the drop of a hat. "...okay. In general, please never do anything like that. To any of us. Or at least ask first."

Tails frowns, puzzled. He taps a mindless rhythm across the countertop. Then his eyes go wide and he lets the notebook drop into his lap. "Ohh, because it's- oh. Okay. I won't. Sorry." He wraps his arms around himself, exuding pure guilt.

Rouge lifts her head up and pats his shoulder awkwardly. "Don't worry about it. I know you meant well."

Tails shrugs and remains unsettled, picking anxiously at the corner of a page.

Rouge has no idea how to help him, or if she even can. She decides to brush past it instead. "So, other than that I liked your reasoning; you said something about meddling?"

“Yes." Tails says, nodding slowly. It's an improvement. "Do you think you could ever convince Shadow to confess?”

“Not a chance,” she shakes her head. “I’ve been trying but he refuses to believe Sonic could like him back. Hell, he might not even believe it if Sonic himself told him.”

Shoot, is she allowed to swear in front of this kid? Rouge searches her memory in vain, trying to recall if she's heard any of the rebels swear before.

“Then that leaves Sonic.” Tails mutters regretfully.

“Could you talk to him?” Rouge suggests, and Tails cringes. 

“I… could,” he says warily, “but I’d really rather not. It’s awkward, not to mention I don’t want to explain why I know, considering he never actually told me.”

“Alright, that's fair… I’m not close to Sonic, but I can try to talk to him, I guess.”

Rouge isn’t sure it’s the best idea, but Tails looks way too uncomfortable for her to guilt him into doing it. Truth be told, she doesn’t want to do it either. Even though it will benefit Shadow, it seems disloyal to talk to his crush behind his back. 

“Talk to Sonic about what?” Amy chirps, appearing in the doorway.

Rouge glances at Tails, who stares back at her helplessly. “About… the person he likes?” Rouge tries. She has no idea how Amy feels about Sonic. Back when they all first met, Amy was not only in love with Sonic, but also fiercely protective of him. If she still likes him, this is about to get very uncomfortable.

“Ugh, good. He and Shadow are starting to get unbearable.” Amy says, and bounces over to peruse the fridge without asking permission. Rouge would be mad if it didn’t remind her of herself.

“You know? I thought you liked Sonic!” Tails blurts out indelicately.

Amy pulls away from the fridge, popping open a can. “I did.” She says flippantly, shrugging one shoulder. “But he didn’t like me back, so, I… moved on.” Her eyes flick over to the doorway to the living room.

Rouge snorts, sipping at her coffee. “Yeah, you did. Plus, she clearly likes you back this time.” 

Amy crosses her arms defensively, face reddening. “A-anyway, Shadow’s good for him. They make each other happy.”

“We’re trying to get them together.” Tails confides.

Without hesitation, Amy cheers, "That’s a great idea! Is there any way I can help?”

“Actually…" Tails muses, "Sonic might take it best if you talked to him. You’re a close friend, and you used to like him, meaning you are the least biased in wanting them together, therefore making him more likely to trust you if you tell him to confess.”

“Amy, you don’t have to do that. It’s okay if that’s too uncomfortable.” Rouge is in no way prepared to talk to Sonic herself, but still, she can't subject the poor girl to talking to an unrequited love about his new flame. Moved on or not, that’s got to sting.

“No, I’m fine. I can do this!” Amy screams, pumping a fist in the air. On that note, she chugs the rest of the can, crumples it against her other arm, and throws it across the entire kitchen to the garbage can.

Rouge and Tails stare at her for a long moment, before Tails inquires, “...how many of those have you had today?”

Ignoring the question, Amy skips over to the doorway. “I’ll talk to him the next time we’re alone! Don’t worry guys, you can- hey Blaze, d’ya want to play Street Fighter?”

…

“So, do you think she’ll actually do it?” Rouge ventures, resting her chin in her palm.

“Well… we don’t have any proof that she won’t, and I’m not about to volunteer, so.” Tails packs away his device and notebook and hoists the bag back onto his shoulder.

“Hmm, good point. Me neither.”

Amy pokes her head back in. “You can count on me. That’s what I was gonna say. I forgot.” She ducks away as quickly as she came. 

“...Okay, I’d say we have about a fifty-fifty shot of her doing it.” Tails starts heading back to the living room, hiding a yawn behind his free hand.

Rouge picks up her mug and follows him to the door. “I like those odds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea that Rouge has trouble sleeping at night because she's a bat is deeply amusing to me, as is Sonic and Shadow both sucking at racing games
> 
> Next chapter, Amy and Sonic and probably Tails because he's my emotional support character now, apparently. No promises on how long the next chap will take because that seriously stressed me out last time but rest assured I love writing this fic and I am going to finish it or die trying
> 
> Also, weird question but does anyone know if there's a religion in the sonic universe? I've been using 'light' because iirc there are a few god-like beings who have light-based powers?
> 
> Thanks for reading!! I hope you liked it :D


	3. Violence Is Never The Answer Except When It Kind Of Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy sorry about the wait y'all, I kinda had a depressive/paranoia episode and this chapter might be a little strange as a result, idk I hope it isn't but I'm really sorry if it is. Tbh by the end I just wanted it DONE. And just to warn you, it is also like, entirely dialogue. 
> 
> Hope you're having a nice day and that you enjoy the chapter :)

The opportunity arises on their next mission: the infiltration of an abandoned base that, according to local rumors, was starting to show signs of activity again. Amy and Shadow had been the original team selected- Amy was familiar with the layout and Shadow could easily get both of them out in a hurry if the rumors did prove to be true. G.U.N. had also wanted Shadow here. They seemed to have a strange interest in this place, but Amy's trying not to think about it, for Sonic's sake.

Sensing her chance, Amy had pointed out that Blaze hadn't been on a stealth mission yet, and could get some experience on an easy mission. That meant there was need for another speedster, and Sonic had happily volunteered.

Now, she just needs to get Sonic alone, and then have yet another extremely awkward conversation with him. Simple. Kinda. Still easier than getting Sonic to talk to her one-on-one outside of work these days. Luckily for her, she's almost positive there's a hallway that splits into two, so now she just needs to make sure she ends up with him, and boom: alone time.

The building itself is beautiful, in a strange way. The roof has partly disintegrated, sunlight trickling in through the openings. Vines have crawled their way across what remains of the ceiling, hanging down to brush their heads as they walk underneath. The base ran on solar power, and no one had thought to turn it off when they left the place in ruins, allowing the emergency lights to shimmer through the vines. Shattered glass from the windows reflects the sunlight and electrical lights alike, creating an illusion of fairy lights.

Blaze is walking beside her, stopping every now and then to inspect the remains of one of the many torn up robots that litter the tiles. It’s hard to tell if robots or plants have more claim to the floor, grass is crawling out of cracks between tiles, and the entire room -walls, floor, and ceiling- is speckled with small white and purple flowers. Amy wonders if Blaze has noticed her matching color scheme.

Amy nudges her, and Blaze turns to her wordlessly. Undeterred by her utter lack of expression, Amy whispers, "There's a split in the path about a mile in. Would you mind going with Shadow so I can go with Sonic?"

There’s a minute shift in Blaze’s features indicating she’s unhappy at the suggestion, and she doesn’t respond right away. When she finally does, her voice is flat. "Why?"

Amy tries to focus on the confusion that question causes, rather than the hope. Maybe Blaze is just curious, maybe she sounds like that because she's catching a cold, not because she's jealous. Yeah. That's probably it. "I promised Tails that I'd talk to him about something," 

"Oh!" Blaze says, her mysterious cold vanishing. "Okay. I don't mind, then."

"Okay!" Amy squeaks back. Why would Blaze have minded in the first place, unless- no, stop, don't get your hopes up it's probably nothing-

"That's so stupid! What kind of messed up morals would you have to have to go through with that?" Sonic's voice cuts off her thoughts, and she and Blaze look over at him in unison.

He and Shadow are walking several feet ahead of them, each glaring daggers at the other. Amy had turned out their conversation back when the subject first turned to G.U.N., although they'd both been significantly calmer then. Amy has absolutely no clue what they’re talking about now, whether it’s hypothetical or not, and she’s getting the impression that she might not want to find out.

Shadow sneers at him. "It might be immoral, but it's for the greater good. I know that's hard for you to grasp-" 

"I understand the concept, you ass, and you're wrong. You can't just sacrifice one person for the rest!" Sonic yells, storming forward. 

Shadow stops in the middle of the hallway. "You're insufferable," Shadow growls, dragging a hand over his face. "Why am I still putting up with this."

"Yeah, why _are_ you here, since you so obviously disagree with everything I do?" Sonic snaps, glaring at the floor with his fists clenched at his sides. His footsteps echo loudly through the hallway.

"Because someone has to stop you from doing stupid shit," Shadow mutters, darting forth at top speed to catch up with Sonic to yank him backwards by the hand. Sonic loses his footing with a yelp, Shadow's grip keeping him from hitting the floor.

Snarling, Sonic spins around to face his assailant, placing them nose-to-nose. "What was that for!?" 

Shadow jerks his head at an almost imperceptible piece of tech embedded in the wall, close to the floor. Upon closer inspection, Amy realizes it's a motion sensor, a faint light indicating it's active. "I'm sorry, did you want to walk into the obvious trap?" Despite the sarcasm, there's no bite in his voice. 

They all consider the sensor for a moment. No one says it, but they all know this probably means the base is in use. Unfortunately, they can’t be certain it isn’t linked to the emergency power, and they’ll have to keep traversing this jungle of a building until they find more evidence.

“Thanks.” Sonic says eventually, breaking the spell over their group. 

As if suddenly realizing how close they’re standing, Shadow takes a step to the side, and resumes walking, taking care to step over the sensor’s line of sight. “Don’t mention it.” 

Amy hops over, and without thinking, extends a hand out to Blaze to help her over. Blaze blinks at her, and Amy remembers that Blaze is a badass who can get over this no problem, and there’s absolutely no reason to help her. She starts letting her arm drop, but then Blaze’s features soften and she takes Amy’s hand, clearing the beam easily. “Thanks,” she says, smiling warmly. 

Blaze drops her hand a second later, and Amy glares at the hedgehogs in front of her. Their hands are still joined, Shadow unconsciously pulling on Sonic’s arm until he speeds up to walk beside him. Amy feels envious of them, until she remembers that they’re stuck in relationship limbo and she prefers her own version of pining.

"You're still holding my hand." Sonic points out, like he’s talking about the weather. Amy can’t understand how they brush past arguments so quickly. Gotta go fast, apparently.

"Am I?" Shadow asks. He seems genuinely surprised, inspecting their joined hands thoughtfully. He doesn’t let go.

Sonic looks down at the same time, checking to make sure, before answering, "Yeah, you are."

Shadow hmms thoughtfully, stoutly not watching Sonic. "Is that a problem? You're still holding mine."

"I- uh.” Sonic stutters, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “No? It's not. But you're the one who started it."

Shadow glances at him, cocking his head in confusion.

"If you grab someone's hand, that means you should be the one to let go.” Sonic explains, lifting their joined hands to Shadow’s face. “Because your hand is on the outside, you can just let go, but if I did it, I'd have to rip my hand away and it’d be a lot harder." 

Shadow studies their hands, then Sonic himself. "...do you want me to let go?" He doesn’t sound upset, but his ears flatten against his head.

"No!" Sonic says, a little too fast. He laughs nervously, looking away. "I mean- I don’t mind at all. It's nice. I was just pointing it out."

Shadow’s cheeks flush, and Amy can’t stop herself from giggling at him. The other two hedgehogs are too far away to hear it, but Blaze does. She grins, holding back a laugh of her own.

"I would argue that you started it by almost getting yourself killed and forcing me to rescue you.”

Sonic huffs, adjusting his gait to bump into Shadow. "Please, I would've zoomed out of there, no problem." 

Shadow stumbles from the collision, only to roll his eyes at Sonic fondly. "Okay.” He waves a hand at the sensor, far behind them by now. "You're welcome to go over and prove it."

The two of them stop walking, staring back down the hallway. To Amy’s horror, Sonic appears to be actually considering it.

Finally, Sonic groans, and resumes the trek forward.

Shadow busts up laughing, almost falling when Sonic tugs on his arm as revenge. “Thought so.” 

"I would totally go and prove you wrong, but…” Sonic falters, searching for a reason. “But, you're holding my hand, so I can't leave."

"Wow, what a gentleman." Shadow says mockingly.

There’s a lull in the conversation, and Blaze edges closer to her. "Are they dating?" She whispers, eyes big and confused. It’s cuter than it has any right to be.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you." Amy sighs. At Blaze's confused expression, she adds, "No, they're not."

"Ah.” Blaze says, even more puzzled than before. “Are they together platonically?" She tries, tapping her fingers against her chin.

"Definitely not platonic.” Amy snorts. “They like each other, but they refuse to talk about their feelings, so now we all have to put up with... You know. That." 

She gestures widely at the scene in front of them. Sonic is swinging their joined hands unconsciously as they walk, completely unaware of how Shadow is watching him with a small smile.

"I have never seen two people who aren’t together behave like this." Blaze comments, amused.

"It's crazy, right?" Amy whispers back, throwing her hands in the air.

"Very.” Blaze chuckles. “Although, I must admit, I also have great difficulty telling people how I feel about them.” 

Blaze stops in her tracks, gazing unblinkingly at Amy, freezing her in place. Slowly, as if not to startle her, Blaze says, “If I were in a situation like theirs, I would be counting on the other person to make the first move."

Amy is suddenly very grateful she’s not moving, because she would’ve just fallen. "I... um.."

"You know, I don't think anyone's called me a gentleman before?" Sonic says suddenly, diverting both their attentions.

"How shocking." Shadow drawls, a hint of a smirk peeking through his angry exterior.

"Hey, I'll have you know that lots of people find me very charming." Sonic retorts, smiling back.

"Really."

"Yeah, _really._ ” Sonic says, sticking his tongue out at Shadow like the mature freedom fighter he is. “Like the person holding my hand, for starters?"

Shadow focuses anywhere other than Sonic’s teasing grin. "Charming isn't the word I'd use. Annoying seems more fitting."

"Pfft, yeah right,” Sonic dismisses, but Amy thinks it bothers him more than he’s letting on, because he asks, sounding curious, “If I'm annoying, why do you keep hanging around me?"

"Perhaps it's your dashingly good looks." Shadow suggests, picking his way around the caved-in ceiling that’s made its way to the floor.

Sonic tumbles after him, not watching his footing. Shadow has to reach out to steady him so many times that Amy begins to suspect Sonic is falling on purpose. "Okay, first off, that was a terrible pun and you should feel ashamed."

Shadow sniggers, not refuting anything, and Amy loses a chunk of the respect she holds for him.

"Secondly, you shouldn't insult someone's looks, it's just plain rude." Rather than angry, Sonic is calm, speaking in a practiced tone that makes it sound like he's trying to educate the other. Which, now that Amy thinks about it, might be because she's lectured Sonic on the exact same thing and he’s quoting her, verbatim.

Shadow frowns, somehow managing to look confused while glowering. "I wasn't in-"

Not even noticing Shadow's attempt at speaking, Sonic continues, "We can't all be as pretty as you, ya know." He pokes Shadow's nose for emphasis.

Shadow stares at him, speechless. Sonic, oblivious as ever, is humming tunelessly and inspecting the patterns on the ceiling. Shadow doesn't bother to try and muster up a response after that, looking down at the floor instead. Amy can't see his face, but he's probably- well, actually, he's probably as angry or emotionless as he always looks. 

Luckily, the silence doesn't last for long (meaning she doesn't have to think up a way to respond to Blaze), the next few steps revealing a hallway leading off to the right. They all stop, inspecting both halls. They’re as dilapidated as the rest of the base has been thus far. 

"What now, Amy?" Shadow asks. Everyone turns to her, and it's touching that they all trust her to lead them but all the same she finds herself fidgeting under the attention, 

"They reconnect later on, but we should split up and explore both, just in case."

Blaze nods. "Good idea, Amy. You go with Sonic on the left. Shadow and I will go right."

Sonic glances at Amy nervously, and raises a hand in question. "Uh, why-"

"Because this is a stealth mission and you two can't seem to stop talking." Blaze interrupts, a sense of finality in her tone that no one wants to argue with. 

Amy mouths a 'thank you,' at her as covertly as she can. Blaze shoots Amy a thumbs-up and enters the new path, Shadow at her heels.

Sonic stands still, gazing at where Shadow last stood with a wistful smile.

"Wow." Amy draws the word out until Sonic turns to look at her. "You've got it bad."

His smile falls away into a frown. "What?"

"Seriously, you might even rival me for being lovesick, it's impressive." She says with a laugh, more to soften the blow than any real humor. "Are you gonna tell him?"

It's a bit blunt, but if the past few months have taught her anything it's that subtlety is not Sonic's strong suit.

Sonic groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's- it's complicated, okay?"

Amy giggles. "No, it's not! Just tell him, before you end up pining for years on end." 

She meant it as a joke, truly, she did, but Sonic clearly doesn't take it as one. He blinks at her, before spinning on his heel and striding down the hall. 

Amy jogs to catch up to him. He doesn't look mad when she runs up beside him, but he doesn't slow down, either.

"I'm-" he breaks off, and she waits for him to find the words. "I'm sorry I made things so difficult for you and I get why you're mad at me but I didn't know what else to do, and-

Amy's not certain, but it feels like he's speeding up. Or maybe she's just out of practice- she's always prioritized strength over agility. "Hold on," she cuts in, and is pleasantly surprised when he listens and stops talking. "I wasn't being sarcastic, I really think you should tell him!"

"Yeah right," Sonic mutters, but he actually looks at her when he says it, for once in this conversation.

"Yes, right." Amy insists, scowling at him. "And I'm not mad at you. I never was." 

That's a straight-up lie, she'd been furious, but he doesn't need to know that. She doesn't want him to know that. She just wants her friend back. 

They sprint in silence for a full minute, though the way her legs are burning makes it feel like hours. Amy forces herself to keep running. How long _is_ this place?

"Are you mad at me?" She asks, unable to block the hesitance from her voice.

"What?" Sonic sounds completely thrown off-guard. "Of course not. Why would I be?"

Several things pop into her head at once, and she decides to say precisely none of them, because if Sonic isn't mad at her then she's not about to list all the reasons why he should be. Those can stay locked in her head where they belong.

Sonic must look at her then, or hear how hard she's panting, because without warning he skids to a halt. "Shoot, are you okay?" 

Her stop isn't nearly as graceful as his but Amy can't find it in herself to care. She nods, unable to speak; hands on her knees as she gasps for air. The idea of sliding to the cool floor is tempting, but if she sits down now she'll never get back up.

"I'm not mad at you for not liking me back," she mutters, when she finally manages to catch her breath. "You can't choose who you fall for."

Sonic openly stares at her, not even trying to hide his shock. Amy sighs. She brought this upon herself, it's her own fault he expected her to react so much worse. She definitely needs to start being a better friend.

"I'm not mad." Amy repeats. "Although there was definitely a better way to tell me you liked someone else."

"I don't know, I thought it got the message across pretty well." Sonic comments wryly, thrusting a hand out to help her up.

Amy takes his hand happily, and for the first time since she's known him, she's the one who pulls away first. "You know what, you're right? 'I don't like you like that because I wanna bang my clone' was the perfect way to-"

"That's not what I said!" Sonic screeches, actually screeches. It's an entire octave higher than his usual voice and then Amy is laughing so hard it's almost screaming and they can probably hear her in the other hallway. Sonic is giving her a death glare but she can't seem to stop.

"It was pretty close to that." Amy gasps out through peals of laughter, barely managing to dodge the halfhearted swat he aims at her.

"It was not!" Sonic insists, but it sounds choked like he's stifling a laugh of his own. "And he's not my clone!"

She finally extracts herself from her giggle fit, almost falling back in when she cracks a grin and asks, "I can't help but notice that you didn't deny the other part?"

Sonic drapes an arm across his eyes and groans. "Oh, sweet chaos, why are you like this."

"Hey, no judgement here," Amy sarcastically makes a soothing motion with her hands when he turns back to look at her. "But I swear, if I have to listen to you flirt with Shadow one more time, I'm going to kill both of you." 

She lifts her hammer from her back and waves it at his nose for emphasis. Sonic rubs his neck embarrassed, moving carefully around her weapon to lean against the wall behind her. "Am I really that bad?"

"...are you being serious right now?" Amy asks, hoping beyond hope that he'll say it was a joke.

Her dreams are crushed in the next instant by a confused: "Yes?" 

Amy has half a mind to slam her hammer into his skull. She counts to ten to curb the urge (thanks Tails). Sonic watches her, slightly fearful.

"You had an entire argument about hand-holding." She states, flatly. 

"Is. Is that not normal?" His look of dawning horror indicates he already figured out the answer.

Amy stares at him until he starts to shift uncomfortably under her gaze. He pushes away from the wall, and they both resume walking without another thought. 

"Do you think he's noticed?" Sonic asks miserably, kicking at the floor with each step. He steers clear of the struggling patches of grass, clouds of dust flying into the air in their stead.

"Hah. No." Amy asserts, and Sonic perks up immediately. "He's just as bad as you, seriously. Maybe worse!"

Sonic raises a brow disbelievingly at her, and she hurries to add, "You should totally just tell him. I'm like, ninety percent sure he likes you back."

"I… Sometimes it feels like he can't stand me." Sonic confesses, hushed like someone will hear him, and he looks so pathetic Amy can't bring herself to make fun of him.

"Listen…" She says, patting his shoulder awkwardly. "I don't know Shadow super well, but I'm reasonably sure he doesn't snuggle up to anyone else like he does to you. That's got to mean something."

Sonic raises his gaze from the floor, opens his mouth to speak, and is interrupted by the deafening shriek of metal sliding against metal. The sound is echoing in from the vents, but she can tell it's coming from nearby.

"Keep going forward," Amy orders, breaking into a run. "We've gone too far to backtrack."

"Got it," Sonic speeds alongside her, hesitation written across his face as he glances between her and the far end of the hall. She fully expects to be left behind in the next second as he charges in head-first, like he always does.

Amy's about to make a sardonic comment to that effect, when he sweeps her up princess-style and barrels off so fast the wind in her ears almost drowns out the next scream of metal.

"Okay, let's assume for a sec that you're right and he does like me back," Sonic's voice is strained, probably from carrying her rather than the impossible speed. "That doesn't mean I can just waltz right up and tell him! What if I say the wrong thing? Or he misunderstands me?"

Amy rolls her eyes. "You're way overthinking this. It'll go fine, and you'll end up being an adorable disaster couple who constantly make the rest of us want to puke."

Sonic mulls that over for a second, during which they arrive at the hallway intersection. Amy clambers out of his arms and unsheathes her hammer in one smooth motion, slamming it into a robot's head in another. 

Blaze and Shadow haven't reached the intersection yet, but they're well within Amy's sights. Shadow looks up at the _crunch_ of her hammer into the bot and nods at them. He and Blaze have made quick work of the machines, only a couple dozen remain.

Sonic slams a fist into a bee-shaped robot that comes too close, looking like he sorely regrets it as he wrenches his hand out of the wreckage. He wiggles it experimentally with a grimace. "Okay, but what if-"

"Oh for the love of-" Amy covers her face with one hand, swinging underhanded with the other at a machine blocking her path. It shatters into little pieces, spraying up around her like a geyser.

"This isn't hard, and I'll prove it to you!" She screams at him over her shoulder as she strides forward confidently. Time to make the first move. "He _y, Blaze!"_

Blaze whips around to face her, noticing the two of them for the first time. She grins brilliantly, expression lighting up like the fire behind her. Smoldering machinery pops and hisses, throwing up sparks that illuminate her smile perfectly. 

"Yes?" Blaze questions, throwing a hand to the side to incinerate a hunk of metal that's unrecognizable in seconds.

Amy's mouth goes dry, and she loses her train of thought momentarily. She should probably stop falling for badasses lest she be rendered speechless for the rest of her life. Eh, a small price to pay.

"I think you're amazing, and you fight good, and you lighting things on fire is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Amy says, not pausing, not even daring to breathe in case she stops talking and can't start again.

Amy tactfully ignores Sonic's muttered comment of, 'kinky,' and presses onwards.

"Would you go on a date with me?" Amy unconsciously holds out her hammer like a bouquet of flowers, realizes that it might be interpreted as a threat, and throws it at the nearest robot.

Blaze nods rapidly, still grinning. "Yes, of course!"

"Awesome!" Any cheers. Another machine flies at her. She reaches out, grabs it, spins, and releases it into a wall. One of the few remaining windows shatters at the impact. "I can pick you up at seven tonight?"

"Works for me!" Blaze chirps, letting her fighting stance drop.

Amy glances around the room. Every single bot is in ruins, Shadow and Sonic having taken care of the rest. The plants are generally intact, some are crispy but thankfully the fire isn’t at risk of spreading to the rest of the wildlife.

"Hey Shadow, can you give me a ride home?" Blaze asks, looking down at her clothes. "I need to get changed." 

Amy blinks, just now noticing that Blaze is covered in motor oil and her coat is charred at the cuffs and hem. It speaks volumes to her control that she avoided setting the oil on fire.

"Sure." Shadow agrees easily. "We're done here, right?" 

Amy nods. They've determined that the base is in use, and there's probably more robots on the way. A quick scan of the next room shows a boatload of traps they'd have to navigate. Retreating and planning a focused attack is their best option. 

Shadow picks Blaze up and dashes off. Amy waves at Blaze as they leave. Blaze shyly blows a kiss at her, hiding her face away right after, and the two of them are out of sight in the next breath.

Amy sighs happily, feeling her face warm up and not really caring. Vaguely, she wonders when Shadow and Blaze got to be on such good terms.

Sonic pokes her in the side of the head. "Hello? Earth to Amy?"

It's only then that Amy remembers his existence and why she decided to do that in the middle of a fight. "See? You just gotta tell him how you feel and it'll work out." 

Amy retrieves her hammer from the scrap metal, brushing off soot and noting all the dents. She'll need to repair those tomorrow, after her _date._ She fights back a squeal.

Still riding the high of requited feelings, Amy adds, "Also if you don't tell him, it will fester inside of you forever, and you will die alone wondering what might have been."

"Wait, why would I die alone, wouldn't I still have friends?" Sonic asks, confused.

"Because I'm going to kill you and no one will ever find your body." Amy growls. He is not allowed to wriggle out of this now.

"Okay, okay!" Sonic yelps, hands held up in a placating motion. "You're right. I need to tell him."

"Yeah! Go for it!" She takes off skipping towards the exit. "Hmm, should I dress up or would that look like I'm trying too hard?"

"I don't think Blaze would ever make fun of you, no matter what you did. She's not that kind of person." Sonic says, showing an astonishing amount of insight considering he doesn't think about his response for more than a second. "So… how do I 'go for it', exactly?"

"That's your problem." Amy smirks. "I have a date to get ready for."

Sonic chuckles, following her. "Fair enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Amy are the disaster sibling duo I've been searching for my whole life. ...And I just realized that if I had managed to fit Tails in here we could've had a disaster sibling trio, gosh darn it
> 
> apparently there's already a fic based on the translator and now I'm feeling really guilty but I swear I wasn't trying to steal anyone else's idea. I know that probably nobody cares, but I had to put that out there
> 
> Also you all probably know this already but don't confess to your crush when other people are around and definitely don't do it to prove a point? Amy gets a pass because both she and Blaze knew she was gonna ask her out, but like. I'm recommending that you never do what she just did haha
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter: Sonic :3


	4. How To Speedrun Your Relationship in Ten Easy Steps (Number Five Will Surprise You!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that this thing is now over forty pages long. what have you all done to me
> 
> btw if my comment responses ever seem rude or odd i swear I don't mean it that way, I just don't really know how to interact with people. I love every single comment I get. Every. Single. One. I promise.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

A week has passed since the mission, and Sonic is ever so slightly extremely panicked. Of all possible emotions, anxiety is his least favorite one, and it's starting to wear him out even though the day has just barely begun. He doesn't know what to _do._ This isn't something where he can just barrel in headfirst and worry about consequences later. Well, technically, he could waltz over there and admit his feelings at the first possible moment, bystanders be damned, like Amy did, but he has the sinking feeling that Shadow might not take that well. Of course, he probably won't take an, 'over-the-top, flowers and doves, fairytale-style confession' particularly well either, so maybe he should just go for it? It's so hard to know for sure. And Amy’s -frankly, disturbing- suggestions that she’s been texting him non-stop really aren’t helping to reduce his indecisiveness. 

Sonic groans, loudly. Why is this so hard?

Tails glances up from the schematics he's pouring over to give him a disapproving glare. "Don't kick the cupboards."

Sonic looks down, noticing his legs are indeed bouncing against the cupboards. "Whatever, mom." He stops anyway.

Ignoring the jibe, Tails points a pencil at him and asks, "What's going on with you? You've been all mopey since you got back from that mission."

"I, uh, got some advice, but I don't know what to do about it." Sonic picks up a nearby piece of machinery and spins it around in his hands. It's a small gear, which Tails was probably using in whatever it is he's building, but oddly, he doesn't demand that Sonic return it. He just watches.

"From Amy?" Tails prompts, and Sonic turns to look at him, swinging his legs up onto the table so he can swivel his entire body.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Sonic asks, confused.

"Um, lucky guess?" Tails offers, and okay, he's definitely lying, and Sonic has no clue why, but Tails usually has good reasons for the things he does so Sonic decides not to call him out on it.

Sonic steels himself, and says, "Anyway, I don't know if you've noticed, but I kinda…" 

He pauses. Tails continues to watch him expectantly, to the point that Sonic has to look away or lose his nerve forever. "I kinda have a crush on Shadow?" He forces out, daring a glance at Tails to gauge his reaction.

Tails' gaze has gone flat, eyes boring through Sonic like he can see his soul and is distinctly unimpressed. Tails sighs, pressing his fingertips together at his mouth in a semblance of a prayer. 

After Sonic spends what feels like an eternity nervously fidgeting, Tails dully states, "You're asking me... if I've noticed… how you act around Shadow."

Sonic grimaces, anxiety fading into embarrassment. "Okay, I am beginning to realize that might be a stupid question." 

Not pulling any punches, Tails instantly replies, "Yeah. Everyone's noticed." 

"Right." Sonic mutters, for lack of anything better to say. He sweeps the fact that everyone on his team has picked up on his embarrassing behavior into a box in the back of his brain to freak out about later. One crisis at a time. 

"Sooo," Sonic draws the word out as long as possible to delay the inevitable increase in awkwardness. When Tails begins to look annoyed, he continues, "Would you be okay with it if I start dating him?"

It's not something Sonic ever really wanted to have to ask anyone, in no small part because he couldn't care less about anyone else's opinion on his love life, but Tails is different. There is no scenario in which Tails feeling hurt is an acceptable outcome. So, even though it's painful to imagine, if Tails says he's not okay with it, Sonic will let this whole thing go.

"Oh chaos." Tails whispers, closing his eyes briefly as if to block out the pain. "Listen, you're my brother, and-" 

Tails stutters off, wary of saying the next few words, and Sonic doesn't know if that's because he's young and immature or because he's a traumatized orphan. But it’s not as though Sonic has room to judge on either of those fronts. 

"-and I love you, but also? You're my _brother_ and I really don't want to talk about this. Ever. You can date whoever you want." Tails finishes, burying his face back into his work to avoid eye contact.

"Sure, of course. Totally fair." Sonic agrees, hands held up in surrender. "...But to be clear- you don't mind?"

Tails rubs at his forehead, still devoutly staring at the schematics. "Yes, it's fine, just please stop flirting near me."

Wincing, Sonic says, "Once again, I am so, so sorry about that." He really is, as little good as that does now. Sonic has no idea how he forgot Tails was in the room, or why he was even doing any of that in the first place. He would love to blame it all on sleep deprivation, but that part was kind of his fault, too, since he and Shadow had stayed up when they were supposed to be sleeping to talk about nothing.

"You're not forgiven." Tails says dryly. "I need therapy."

"We all do, buddy." Sonic replies, stoically patting him on the shoulder. It's unfortunate that neither of them are completely joking.

More seriously, Sonic adds, "Thanks for being so cool about this." 

"No problem," Tails replies easily. Then, like the little kid he is, he mutters, "I just want you to be happy."

Sonic smiles, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "I am."

Tails rolls his eyes at the show of affection, but doesn't bat his hand away.

The next half hour passes quickly while they work in a companionable silence. At Tails' request, Sonic finds pieces among the clutter and hands them over, while the fox assembles them using either glue, a screwdriver, or concerningly, a blowtorch that Sonic has no memory of buying. 

Sonic opts not to comment on it, preferring to keep the peaceful atmosphere of the room intact; he resolves to thoroughly vet the people Tails buys from later. For now, though, Sonic continues to fetch pieces while listening to the quiet click-clacks of rain against the windows. He'd been too on edge to notice before, but it really is a nice morning. The clouds are a calming light shade of grey, and the rain is a drizzle, rather than being a total downpour. Soft sunlight manages to pierce the cloud cover, making the plants surrounding their home appear more verdant than usual.

"Do you think he'd like flowers?" Sonic asks suddenly, and Tails jumps, knocking a screw to the floor.

"What part of _'I don't want to talk about this'_ do you not understand?" Tails moans without any real annoyance.

"Oh right, my bad. Just trying to figure this out." Sonic says, forcing a grin.

Tails hesitates, then heaves an agitated sigh. "Ugh, fine, I'll help."

Sonic does a celebratory fist-pump while Tails scours the floor for the dropped screw. He drops it on the table, then pulls a tattered notebook out from under the blueprints.

Tails doesn't show him what's in the notes, angling the pages away from his line of sight, and Sonic doesn't ask to see them. The depths of Tails' mind can be a scary place, and honestly, he's happier not knowing. 

Finally ceasing his rapid searching, Tails taps a page and says, "Okay, don't ask how I know this, but, Shadow is convinced you don't actually like him."

"What?" After all they've been through, how could Shadow not realize that they're friends? Did he do something wrong? Sure, Sonic argues with him a lot, but he never thought Shadow was genuinely upset by that… but maybe Sonic just missed the signs, he's certainly done that before..

Tails glances up at him, noticing his descent into hysteria. "Don't take that personally," Tails interrupts, pulling out Sonic of his own head. "I think it's self doubt, not anything you did."

Sonic relaxes, and Tails continues, "But because of that, you can't leave _anything_ up to interpretation because I guarantee he will interpret it wrong."

"'Kay." Sonic frowns. That explains a lot about his current situation. It's not as though he's been subtle by any definition of the word. At this point it feels like Sonic could get down on one knee and propose to the guy, diamond ring included, and all Shadow would do is ask if it was for tax purposes. ...not that Sonic spends a lot of time thinking about proposing to Shadow.

With that in mind, Sonic asks, "So, I should do... what?" 

Tails huffs, amused, and tosses the notebook to the side to pick up his screwdriver once more. "I don't know, you're the one who's in love with him."

"I never said 'in love,' exactly," Sonic mutters, feeling his face heat up. It might be true - _might be,_ because he's not willing to examine those feelings too closely right now, probably ever- but it's odd to hear it stated so plainly.

Tails raises a disbelieving eyebrow at him and doesn't respond to his protest. "Just, do something you think he'll like, show that you're making an effort, and tell him, _very clearly,_ how you feel."

It's not anywhere near the answer Sonic had unfairly hoped Tails would have. It's helpful, but vague, not a clear-cut solution like, 'get all the emeralds and we win the fight.' 

But maybe there is no right answer, and it's all just guesswork, which is unfortunately how most relationships seem to work. And Sonic just signed up to forge one of the more difficult types of relationships. ...man, emotions suck.

"Now, could you pass me that gear, or are you too busy angsting over your love life?" Tails asks, and Sonic, feeling nettled, flicks it at his forehead.

***

Before he knows it, he's staring at a door, and filled with the inescapable fear of impending doom. The door is undeserving of his apprehension; miniature pink faux flowers surround the numbers painted onto the wood and an innocent houseplant, a bush of some kind, sits beside the door handle. 

"You can do this, you can do this," Sonic whispers to himself. One of Shadow's neighbors stops to stare at him on their way to their own apartment. Sonic stares back, stonefaced, mentally daring them to comment. The person scurries behind their door in the next two seconds.

Sonic takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door.

It takes about five seconds, during which he considers knocking again or possibly just running away and never coming back, but then he hears footsteps from inside and finds himself frozen in place.

The door swings open, revealing Rouge, and how did he forget that Rouge being home was a possibility? They live together and neither of them have lives outside of work, of course she’s here.

"...can I help you with something?" Rouge ventures, when several seconds pass in complete silence.

Sonic, showing an extraordinary lack of thought, replies, "Nope." 

"Well, this has been pointless. Thanks for stopping by!" Rouge says in a falsely cheerful manner, stepping back to push the door closed.

The creak of the hinges snaps him to attention. "Wait, hold on, I meant- I want to talk to Shads."

"Sure." Rouge responds, sounding amused. Sonic glares at her, to absolutely no effect. Whether her aloofness is a facade or her actual personality, it’s impenetrable. "I assume this has something to do with the bouquet of flowers you're failing to hide?"

Sonic fights the urge to cringe, instead shifting the plants out from behind his back. "Is it too much?"

Rouge shrugs, stepping out and pulling the door softly shut behind her. "I didn't say that."

"So you think he'll like it?" He asks hopefully, pressing one of the fluffy amber flowers back from where it had been jostled.

"Didn't say that either." She grins impishly.

"You're being really unhelpful right now." Sonic tells her, moving another flower to its rightful place.

"I try." Rouge says smugly. "Also, I actually have no idea if he likes flowers or not." She admits, leaning back against the door.

Sonic sullenly stares down at the bouquet. "Hold on, is this crazy? It is, right?" 

When she doesn't immediately reply, he adds, "I mean, he'll just get mad at me and I don't want to ruin our friendship, so I should go before-"

"No!" Rouge yelps, hand outstretched as if to catch him if he bolts, which is fair- he was about to. "Do not do that!"

He crosses his arms, somehow managing not to squash the flowers in the process, and gazes at her quizzically. "Why do you care?"

"Because... reasons.” Rouge says lamely, looking away. She drums her fingers across her arm, eyes glued on the wall behind him. “Anyway, I promise he won’t hate you. Not for long, at least.”

“...you're sure?” Sonic asks, sounding more vulnerable than he meant to. Whatever. Rouge’s going to judge him no matter what he says or does, he might as well be honest.

“You two really need to communicate better. I mean, I knew it was bad, but _wow._ " Rouge covers her face with her hand, muffling her next words. "Yes, I'm freaking sure.”

"Everyone keeps judging how I handle relationships lately." Sonic complains half-heartedly. 

She shrugs. "You earned it, kiddo.” Kiddo? Really? He’s only a few years younger than her. “You ready?"

Sonic gives a hollow laugh. "I mean, no, but- yeah, let's do this."

"Cool. I'll go grab him for you, you got this, knock 'em dead, I believe in you, yadda yadda- you get it.” She waves a hand dismissively. “And for the love of everything beautiful in this world just tell him how you feel, don't mince words."

"You sound like Tails." Sonic remarks, and to his surprise, Rouge smiles.

"Then listen to him, he's a smart kid." Rouge says, sounding fond. Sonic blinks. He doesn't think he's ever seen Rouge show genuine, positive emotion before. Definitely none that wasn't at someone else's expense. Tails is apparently quite good at doing the impossible on a near-daily basis. That should probably stop being a surprise by now.

Rouge opens the door, then pauses, swiveling on her heel to face him. "Oh, and real quick: if you hurt Shadow I'll hurt you back. I know I can't beat you in a one-on-one fight but rest assured that I will find a way and it will be painful."

She closes the door in Sonic's face, sparing him from having to respond.

Rouge quickly reappears with Shadow in tow. He looks confused at Sonic's presence, but not annoyed. The bar is, apparently, pretty low, because that feels like a good omen.

"Alright, I'll get out of your guys' quills, see ya later," Rouge announces, slinging a purse over her shoulder. She pokes Shadow in the cheek and grins at his resulting scowl. "Keep it PG, you two!"

Sonic feels a shock of panic at her words, worried she just ratted him out, but a glance at Shadow shows nothing but exasperation. "Rouge." Shadow warns.

She sighs, put-upon. "Okay, fine, you can get PG-13, but that's my final offer."

Shadow's eyes narrow, and he slowly leans back, out of her reach. "Get away from me." 

Rouge cackles, fortunately masking the sound of Sonic's own laugh. She moves forward, extending a hand to pet Shadow on the head. Shadow matches her step for step, staying out of range. She pouts exaggeratedly, giving up. "Fine."

Rouge turns to Sonic, who's still grinning, and wiggles her fingers at him. "Toodles." 

Shadow is glaring daggers at both of them now, having noticed Sonic's inability to hide his amusement.

Ignoring him, Sonic waves back at Rouge. Satisfied, Rouge whips around and flies into the elevator. There's the startled shriek of an innocent bystander as she hits the wall above their head, before the doors close with a cheerful ding.

Sonic turns to face Shadow, who's watching him with a faintly curious expression. His previous irritation has already faded away.

Sonic taps his foot against the floor, searching for the right words. "So I've been-"

"Why are you holding flowers?" Shadow asks at the same time. 

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” is all Sonic says. It’s not a particularly good answer, but explaining his thought processes seems too monumental a task right now. Clearing his throat, he asks, “Can I come in?” Doing this in a hallway where anybody could be listening sounds like just about the worst thing ever, and Shadow would appreciate it even less.

“Sure,” Shadow says, sounding anything but, “After you.” He steps aside, making a sweeping motion towards the door that would be more at place in a fairy tale. By his guileless expression, Sonic is positive Shadow has no idea how cliched and sarcastic that gesture is considered to be these days. It has no right being as cute as it is.

Shadow shuts the door behind them with a soft _click._ Sonic made the mistake of stopping in the entryway, so a single step forward from Shadow places them inches away. Thanks to those stupid hover shoes, Sonic has to look up slightly to meet Shadow's eyes, which is annoying, or maybe just sort of hot. In any case, it’s distracting, and Sonic needs all the focus he can get right now. He’d take a step back if he wasn’t trying to be hyper aware of every single way Shadow might misinterpret his actions. Sonic does, however, drop the flowers on a conveniently close bench, regretting their very existence. 

“Why are you here?” Shadow asks without inflection, and if he were anyone else, Sonic might think Shadow is angry with him and give up right now. Thankfully, he is himself, and he has a few years’ worth of experience in understanding what Shadow means. This, for example, is just a genuine question that Shadow simply forgot to phrase as one. ...Probably.

So instead of running away screaming -as inviting as that sounds- Sonic grins in what he hopes is a nonchalant manner, leaning even further into Shadow’s space. Encouragingly, Shadow remains still, but completely unperturbed by Sonic’s casual invasion of personal boundaries. “I wanted to talk to you.” 

“Talk about what?” Shadow says, again without inflection, tilting his head curiously instead. 

Confidence faltering, Sonic stutters, “W-well, see, I-”

Shadow waits patiently for him to speak, not even a hint of annoyance in his expression. It’s that, more than anything else, that gives him the courage to continue.

“I like you. A lot.” Quickly, before Shadow can respond, Sonic tacks on, “and not- not like a friend.”

Shadow asks, “How do you like me, then?” There’s honest confusion in his voice. Sonic grits his teeth without breaking his smile and fights the need to groan theatrically. Why did he have to fall for the most obtuse person in existence?

“You’re really gonna make me spell it out, huh?” Sonic laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Shadow nods uncertainly.

“Okay,” Sonic breathes out, steadying himself. “I like you in the sense that I want to hold your hand and go on dates and spend way too much time together. But I guess we already do that.” Sonic amends with a shrug. 

Shadow continues to stare at him blankly, but Sonic knows it’s not confusion this time around. Processing, maybe. It is a lot to throw at someone all at once. Despite that, Sonic feels the need to explain more. “So, if you’re interested in trying the whole ‘dating’ thing, I’m here. If you’re not, that’s- that’s okay. I just… wanted you to know.”

"Why are you- I don't-" Shadow falters, falling still. He stares at the floor for so long Sonic starts to worry he needs to call an ambulance. Then Shadow’s features shift from empty to something else Sonic isn’t sure on, then to another emotion he can’t interpret but would tentatively call ‘betrayal,’ to flat-out anger. 

Sonic makes a move towards Shadow’s wrist in an effort to comfort him, stopping himself at the last second. There’s no telling exactly what Shadow is mad about right now, and touching him might make things worse, not better. It doesn’t make it any less hard to watch him fall apart like this.

Visibly piecing together his composure, Shadow grounds out, "You don't have to lie to make me feel better," he sneers the last few words, but his reticence to meet Sonic's eyes betrays his lack of conviction. 

Sonic blinks several times. That’s not anything close to what he expected. Wrinkling his nose in confusion, Sonic asks, "What? I'm not lying, I actually-"

"Oh please, you've had a hero complex since before I met you. It would be just like you to pretend that..." Shadow trails off and exhales softly. Defeatedly. His next words are devoid of any anger. "Stop trying to spare my feelings, Sonic. I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity, dumbass!” Sonic yells back, angrily enough that Shadow actually takes a step back. “I'm in-"

"I can't listen to this anymore." Shadow cuts in, whirling around to throw the door open.

"Oh, yeah, sure, just run away!” Sonic snarls, suddenly more furious than he’s been in a long time. He could handle outright rejection, but this? This stings. “The ultimate lifeform, everybody, can't talk about his feelings for two seconds without-" Sonic stops as the front door slams shut in his face.

He can’t believe this, what kind of jerk walks out on a conversation like that? ...Well, actually, Sonic’s known Shadow was a jerk since they first met, it’s just a fact of life now. The sun rises every morning, stars are big balls of fire, and Shadow will rudely bail on someone’s confession of feelings. 

...Wait, hold on- Sonic flings the front door open yet again. The hinges screech in protest. Whoops. He might have to buy Rouge a new door. 

Dashing out, Sonic spots Shadow entering the stairwell on the far side of the hall. "Wait!” Sonic screams at him. Shadow doesn’t stop, but he does glance back over his shoulder while shoving the metal door open. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Sonic shouts, “Why are you the one leaving?! This is your house!" Sonic didn’t necessarily want to be kicked out, but still. It's the principle of the thing.

Shadow doesn’t deign to respond to that, rolling his eyes and letting the heavy door of the stairwell fall closed with a harsh clang. 

It takes a full second for Sonic to realize Shadow isn’t coming back. "Get back here!” Sonic yells, charging after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops sorry I made it angsty 
> 
> I had absolutely no idea how to do the confession scene, so I rewatched all the snapcube fandubs for the hundredth time in the name of 'research' and then I realized: what would be more fitting for these two than a freAKING RACE?? Nothing, that's what. So now y'all have that to look forward to and/or dread
> 
> There will be just one more chapter I think? Plus... in the next chapter: Shadow ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading :D

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter: Rouge and the rest of the gang (on a related note, does anyone have a preference between blazamy and silaze?)
> 
> Sonic has consumed my life and working on this fic makes me really happy so the next chapter should be up soon, I hope! Thanks for reading, everyone!


End file.
